Arch support



July 24, 1956 J. GUY 2,755,569

ARCH SUPPOR T Filed Feb. 16, 1955 IN VENTOR ATTORNEY? United States PatentO ARCH SUPPORT Joseph Guy, Boston, Mass.

Application February 16, 1953, Serial No. 337,163

Claims. (Cl. 36-71) This invention relates to arch supports and to methods of making them, and particularly to such devices and methods where the support is made to conform to the shape of each individual foot.

Many different types of arch supports have been proposed to provide longitudinal and transverse support for the bones of the foot forming the longitudinal and metatarsal arches. In most prior devices, the support is preformed and will not fit the many different curvatures, or peculiarities, of the feet of different individuals. In some cases provision has been made to add to the preformed support to suit individual needs. In one known case where an attempt was made to mold the support to the foot of the user, several steps were required to complete the support. In other words, additions were necessary to the basic support which was molded to the foot, and as each addition is made the support must again be molded. It has been known also to build up a laminated structure to provide props to support the bones of the foot which form the metatarsal arch, but these act literally as props and render these bones static and prevent free, normal movement of the foot. I

The object of the present invention is to provide an arch support, and method of making it, which may be entirely prefabricated and then molded to the foot of the user in one operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide such method and arch support wherein the support will be caused to arch in its midsection during the" molding operation to snugly embrace the arch of the wearer, and when set will yieldingly hold this shape.

A further object is to provide an arch support, in which identical laminated sections are used in such manner as to form substantially convex surfaces both longitudinally and transversely of the support in the proper area to support the bones of the longitudinal and metatarsal arches.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description of one practical embodiment thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form a part of, the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an arch support constructed in accordance with the present invention before it is molded to the foot;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section through the support, and is taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view of the major components of the support shown opened up and spread apart;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the support after being molded to the foot of the user;

Fig. 5 is a transverse section through the support taken on the line 55 of Fig. 4; and,

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the support with the bones of a foot shown superimposed in dotted lines to illustrate the relative position of the foot bones with respect to the laminated elevating sections of the support.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the arch support 2,755,569 Patented July 24, 1956 consists of at least three sections. These are: the bottom 1, of one or more plies of fabric which is flexible but filled, or coated, with a material to give it some stiffness, such as a colloidal mixture of nitrated cotton known in the trade as Lucky Strike and made by Arden- Rayshine Company of Watertown, Massachusetts, or cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate; the center section 2 composed of a plurality of superimposed wedgeshaped sections of the same material as the bottom layer; and, the top ply 3 of similar material having a rubber, or other, finishing coating on its top surface to eliminate the necessity of using a separate finishing layer. The bottom and top plies are of similar size and shape. Both have the general shape of the inside of a shoe at the heel and instep portions. These plies terminate at their forward ends in an are just back of the toe section of the shoe. The forward edge of the plies will be under which is commonly referred to as the ball of the foot.

The central section 2 is made up from five thicknesses of material which will be referred to as trusses, and which are mounted upon a sheet or ply 2' similar in size and shape to the plies 1 and 3. Each truss 4 is an elongated wedge-shaped member of uniform thickness from end to end. The shape is that of a truncated right angle triangle having a base 5 and a side 6 perpendicular to the base. The side 7 forms an acute angle with the base, and the top 8 is parallel to the base 5. Thus each wedge tapers from the base to the top. The trusses are positioned upon the sheet 2 and one another in staggered relation with the inclined side 7 of the bottom ply parallel with, and slightly spaced from, the inside edge of the sheet or ply 2. The remaining trusses are then arranged one upon another with the inclined side of each spaced from, and parallel to, the inclined side of the truss beneath. The trusses are also arranged with their bases staggered, so that each succeeding truss has its base spaced from, and parallel to, the base of the truss beneath.

By the arrangement of trusses just described, there is formed a pyramid increasing from one thickness of material at each edge to five thicknesses along its center area. The forward ends of these trusses, the base ends, underlie the forward ends of the metatarsal bones of the foot which form the metatarsal arch. Normally, the metatarsal bones at their forward portion are in an ascending and descending formation, and the trusses are correspondingly so arranged. Because these trusses are arranged to correspond to the five metatarsal bones of the foot (see Fig. 6) each serves as a stabilizer of the longitudinal arch of the foot.

After the trusses have been arranged they are secured to the sheet or ply 2', and to one another by adhesive. or in some other suitable manner. The top and bottom plies are then put in place, and the entire assembly secured together by stitching 9. This completes the assembly of the arch support, and results in a relatively flat element which is thicker in its center than at the edges. Nothing remains to be done but to mold the support to the foot of the user.

When the support is to be molded, it is placed in a solution of pure acetone for a period of one to five min utes. This softens the support and makes it more pliable for molding. After removal from the solution, it is allowed to dry until it is soft and pliable, and then covered with a dusting powder and inserted into the users shoe for molding. The shoe with the support in it is placed on the foot and the person is allowed to walk for about two minutes. It is during this phase of the operation that the support takes its final form. When the walking is completed, the shoe is removed and the support taken from it for further drying and then the support is replaced into the shoe of the wearer and the wearer is informed not to remove or disturb the support while in the shoe for at least twenty-four hours, at which time the support can be removed and placed into another shoe if necessary because after twenty-four hours, the molded support is completely dry and will maintain the shape conformed. When removed from the shoe the support will be well formed and capable of maintaining support to the arches of the foot.

During the Walking phase of the method, the support will not only shape itself to those portions of the foot which actually contact the support, but will also be pressed upwardly at its midsection, as at 10, Fig. 4, to fit itself snugly into the arch of the user. This phenomenon apparently is caused by the movement of the foot in walking. The foot has a three point action in the distribution of body weight through it. These points are the heel, midfoot and toe. As the heel lifts itself from the ground it has a tendency to begin arching the longitudinal arch of the foot and it takes a diagonal swing to the outer side of the foot. The trusses 4 are so arranged at this heel portion, 1.1, that they correspond or read with this movement of the foot and, therefore, the support like the arch of the foot begins to rise or elevate at its midsection. This shifting of Weight to the outside of the foot is continued as the Weight moves forward onto the toes. Perhaps, the fact that the distance between the heel and metatarsal arch is lessened, due to the arching of the longitudinal arch of the foot, and these points are in contact with the support causes the support to be compressed lengthwise with a consequent buckling or rise at the midsection to compensate for the decreased overall length. The rocking of the foot as the heel is lifted will cause the greater rise in the support to be along the inside edge Where it is needed. The final shape of the support will be that of the bottom of the foot of the user.

The trusses 4 may be joined together permanently, and used alone. That is, the trusses, superimposed and arranged as described, may be sold as a separate unit to be incorporated in the sole, of shoes when manufactured. The truss unit may be placed between the sole sections, or molded into rubber soles, in the same position that they occupy with respect to the top and bottom plies previously described, and the unit will underlie, and support, the metatarsal arch.

While in the above one practical embodiment of the invention has been disclosed, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration and changes may be made from the precise structure illustrated within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an arch support, bottom and top plies of material of identical shape to fit Within the heel and midsection of a shoe, and a central section comprising a plurality of identical flat wedge-shaped strips superimposed upon one another, each strip being laterally and longitudinally offset with respect to adjacent strips to form an elevating section in the form of a pyramid.

2. In an arch support as claimed in claim 1, said strips being offset in such manner that the same lateral and longitudinal edges of all of the strips are parallel to each other and one edge of each strip is parallel to the inside edges of the top and bottom plies.

3. In an arch support as claimed in claim 1, said strips being offset in such manner that the same lateral and longitudinal edges of all of the strips are parallel to each other and one edge of each strip is parallel to the inside edges of the top and bottom plies, the strips being arranged with their wider ends forward, whereby the strips will form trusses to underlie and support the metatarsal bones of the foot.

4. In an arch support, bottom, top and central plies of material of identical shape to fit within the heel and midsection of a shoe, and a plurality of strips adhered to the central ply and to one another in superimposed position, the strips being identical and flat and having the shape of truncated right-angle triangles, said strips being arranged upon said central ply with their wide ends forward and their bases perpendicular to the inside edge of said central ply, said strips being laterally and longitudinally ofiset from one another with the edges of the respective strips parallel to one another, whereby the strips will lie in fan-like formation and form trusses to support the metatarsal bones of the foot.

Block May 17, 1921 Sherman Oct. 15, 1946 

